The present invention relates generally to apparatuses, methods and systems for monitoring and/or controlling water treatment More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatuses, methods and systems for monitoring and/or controlling water treatment of aqueous systems, such as water cooling systems or other like industrial water systems.
Most industrial waters contain alkaline earth metal cations, such as calcium, barium, magnesium, and several anions, such as bicarbonate, carbonate, sulfate, oxalate, phosphate, silicate and fluoride. When combinations of these anions and cations are present in concentrations which exceed the solubility of their reaction products, precipitates can form until the product solubility concentrations are no longer exceeded. For example, when the concentrations of calcium ion and carbonate ion exceed the solubility of the calcium carbonate reaction products, a solid phase of calcium carbonate will form.
Solubility product concentrations are exceeded for various reasons, such as partial evaporation of the water phase, change in pH, pressure or temperature, and the introduction of additional ions which form insoluble compounds with the ions already present in the solution. As these reaction products precipitate on surfaces of the water carrying system, they form scale or deposits. This accumulation prevents effective heat transfer, interferes with fluid flow, facilitates corrosive processes and harbors bacteria This scale is an expensive problem in many industrial water systems causing delays and shutdowns for cleaning and removal.
Many other industrial waters, while not being scale forming, tend to be corrosive. Such waters, when in contact with a variety of metal surfaces such as ferrous metals, aluminum, copper and its alloys, tend to corrode one or more of such metals or alloys. A variety of compounds have been suggested to alleviate these problems. Such materials are low molecular weight polyacrylic acid polymers. Corrosive waters of this type are usually acidic in pH and are commonly found in closed recirculating systems.
Numerous compounds have been added to these industrial waters in an attempt to prevent or reduce scale and corrosion. One such class of materials are the well known organophosphonates which are illustrated by the compounds hydroxyethylidene diphosphonic acid (HEDP) and phosphonobutane tricarboxylic acid (PBTC). Another group of active scale and corrosion inhibitors are the monosodium phosphinicobis (succinic acids)
Biofouling has also been problematic in industrial water systems, such as cooling towers, heat exchangers and air washers, because it can also adversely affect heat transfer efficiency and fluid frictional resistance, thereby subsequently reducing production rates. In addition, biofouling can also play an important role in microbiologically influenced corrosion.
Biofouling can occur when microorganisms attach to inert surfaces forming aggregates with a complex matrix consisting of extracellular polymeric substances. This consortium of attached microorganisms and the associated extracellular polymeric substances is commonly referred to as a biofilm.
The most common way to control biofouling is through the application of chemical biocides such as chlorine, bromine, isothiazolones, glutaraldehyde or other antimicrobials. These biocides are added in an attempt to kill both planktonic and attached microorganisms.
In general, scale deposition, corrosion and/or biofouling of aqueous systems can be treated by adding a chemical and/or biological treatment agent to the aqueous system, typically via a controlled delivery device. Conventional treatment generally requires large containers of treatment chemicals, typically at least 5 gallons in size and often times 55 gallons in size or greater. Further, the installation of conventional water treatment systems typically includes installing piping and solenoid valves for tower bleed, electrical supply for a variety of pumps and controllers, electrical connections between pumps, controllers and solenoid valves, and tapping water lines for chemical feed points. The size and installation requirements of conventional water treatment systems of this type can be expensive as well as excessive (i.e., not practical), particularly with respect to smaller and/or medium-sized aqueous systems, to aqueous systems where installation services are scarce, expensive or where main power is limited or not available and the like. These types of aqueous systems are typically located at, for example, college and university campuses, office buildings, hotels, motels, emerging countries, demote locations or the like.
A need, therefore, exists to monitor and/or control water treatment of aqueous systems for scale deposition, corrosion, biofouling or the like to minimize costs and to increase the adaptability of treatment to such aqueous systems where conventional treatment can be difficult and even impractical to implement.
The present invention provides apparatuses, methods and systems for monitoring and/or controlling water treatment of aqueous systems, such as water cooling systems or other like industrial water systems. The present invention provides a self-contained treatment unit that can be controllably adapted to bleed or remove water from the aqueous system and to feed or deliver treatment agents to the aqueous system for treating scale, corrosion, biofouling, other like conditions or combinations thereof The self-contained treatment unit of the present invention can be readily installed without requiring extensive piping, electrical wiring, power from a main power source or the like. This allows the apparatus of the present invention to be suitably and desirably adapted for use, particularly with small to medium-sized aqueous systems, such as water cooling systems that have less than 100 ton capacity.
To this end, in an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for self-contained treatment of an aqueous system is provided. The apparatus includes a housing that encloses a controller, a feed pump and a treatment agent contained within one or more containers. The apparatus further includes a sensor that electrically communicates with the controller for measuring a parameter of water within the aqueous system, and q bleed pump that electrically communicates with the controller such that the controller controllably activates the bleed pump when the parameter is at or exceeds a predetermined level wherein the bleed pump removes water from the aqueous system upon activation. The feed pump also electrically communicates with the controller such that the controller controllably activates the feed pump during activation of the bleed pump wherein the feed pump acts to deliver the treatment agent to the aqueous system.
In another embodiment, an apparatus for monitoring and controlling treatment of a water cooling system is provided. The apparatus includes a self-contained treatment unit including a control device, an inhibitor feed pump and an inhibitor agent contained within one or more containers wherein the self-contained treatment unit is powered by a 12 volt power source. The apparatus further includes a conductivity sensor electrically communicating with the control device such that the conductivity sensor transmits a signal to the control device indicative of electrical conductivity of water within the aqueous system, and a submersible bleed pump electrically communicating with the control device such that the control device controllably activates the bleed pump when the signal is at or exceeds a preset value wherein the submersible bleed pump removes water from the water cooling system upon activation thereof. The inhibitor feed pump also electrically communicates with the control device such that the control device controllably activates the inhibitor feed pump wherein the inhibitor feed pump acts to deliver the inhibitor agent to the water cooling system for treating scale and/or corrosion.
In yet another embodiment, a system for monitoring and controlling treatment of an aqueous system is provided. The system includes a sensor located within the aqueous system for measuring a parameter of water within the aqueous system which is capable of varying with respect to changes in the aqueous system due to scale, corrosion and/or biofouling; a submersible bleed pump for removing water from the aqueous system; and a self-contained treatment unit electrically communicating with the sensor and the submersible bleed pump such that the self-contained treatment unit controllably activates the submersible bleed pump to remove water from the aqueous system when the parameter of the water is at or exceeds a predetermined level. The self-contained treatment includes a housing for enclosing a controller, an inhibitor feed pump and an inhibitor agent contained within one or more containers wherein the controller controllably activates the inhibitor feed pump to deliver the inhibitor agent to the aqueous system during activation of the submersible bleed pump.
In still yet another embodiment, a method of monitoring and controlling treatment of an aqueous system is provided The method comprises the steps of providing a self-contained treatment unit comprising a housing for enclosing an inhibitor feed pump, an inhibitor agent contained within one or more containers and a controller; measuring a water parameter sensitive to changes in the aqueous system due to scale, corrosion and/or biofouling; producing a signal indicative of the measured water parameter; transmitting this signal to the controller for controllably activating a submersible bleed pump to remove water from the aqueous system when the signal is at or exceeds a preset value; and controllably activating the inhibitor feed pump such that the inhibitor agent is delivered to the aqueous system during activation of the submersible bleed pump to treat scale and/or corrosion.
It is, therefore, an advantage of the present invention to provide apparatuses, systems and/or methods that employ a self-contained treatment unit for monitoring and controlling water treatment of an aqueous system.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a self-contained treatment unit that controllably activates or operates a number of pumps, sensors and other components for treating scale, corrosion and/or biofouling.
A further advantage of the present invention is to provide apparatuses, systems or methods that employ a self-contained treatment unit to controllably treat aqueous systems by bleeding or removing water from the system and feeding or delivering treatment agents to the system based on measured scale, corrosion and/or biofouling activity within the aqueous system.
Yet a still further advantage of the present invention is to provide a self-contained treatment unit that can be utilized to treat water from an aqueous system including a water cooling system or other like industrial water systems.
Still further an advantage the present invention is to provide a self-contained treatment unit that can be utilized to monitor and/or control water treatment of an aqueous system that can be readily installed and that is easily adaptable, particularly to small and/or medium-sized aqueous systems including aqueous systems which are located in remote areas or regions that are difficult to access.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent in, the detailed description of the presently preferred embodiment and the figures.